My week at Kea Artisanal was quickly nearing the end but not before learning how to make and roll phyllo dough. Stamatia, one of Aglaia’s wonderful assistants, is an expert on phyllo dough and patiently helped us each roll out the dough we had prepared. She made it look so easy! I think with many years of daily practice we might “get it” and perhaps be able to make the beautiful paper thin sheets as she did, but in reality, I doubt it! The ones she made were perfectly round, paper thin and made a slightly oily, but crisp crust for the greens pie we made to fill the dough. She was even able to roll three layers at a time by generously oiling each one then stacking and rolling them! That is true talent!

Instead of spinach, as typically seen, the Spanakopita pie we made was filled with various greens that were available and freshly picked. I love that anything you happen to have on hand, Swiss chard, beet greens, dandelion greens or even arugula will make a suitable filling. We also made a cheese and herb pie with an egg custard filling that resembled a flat quiche and some beautiful single serving marinated octopus pies that would be part of our dinner that evening.

While the pies were baking, Costas prepared the fish that we had picked right off of the boat at the port that morning. He wrapped each fish in a fresh fig leaf that had been oiled and placed the entire package on the charcoal grill, cooking it to perfection. The fig leaf provides a crispy, sweet and salty second skin.

After our long, luxurious lunch, we were treated to a tasting of various spoon sweets. We enjoyed the interesting flavors of tomato, walnut, orange, cherry, apple and homemade lemon marmalade served with ice cream and yogurts. Each one was better than the previous one. I especially loved the lemon and the apple sweets.

The afternoon was spent back at the hotel napping by the pool and relaxing before our sunset dinner and drinks at the beach. The sun sets at around 9pm so we were picked up at 7:30 and rode along the winding dirt roads along the narrow cliffs to the beach where we would dine. It was a bit harrowing as the roads are wide enough for only one vehicle and there is nowhere to pull over if you come across another car heading in your direction. One of you must go in reverse back the way you came to allow the other car to pass! There are also no guard rails to be seen and in some spots the road appears to be crumbling down the sides of the cliff. One wrong tire move and I could see the car tumbling off. But for the stunning beauty of the view, it might be worth it! I don’t think I could ever tire of such gorgeous vistas.

Watching the sunset, sitting on the beach, eating the octopus pies, salads, breads and drinking wine was the perfect ending to the week. I could think of nothing I would have preferred doing for my last night on Kea.

The next day, we had a cheese making class in the morning. Myzithra, a Greek ricotta like cheese, is made from goat or sheep’s milk or a combination of the two and fresh cream. It’s simple to make at home and it’s soft, creamy texture goes well with honey, fresh fruits or even sliced tomatoes. We were given a selection of honeys to taste. Some of the varieties sampled included a carob honey which has a slightly nutty, but distinctively chocolate flavor; a chestnut honey, dark, thick and nutty; and my personal favorite, a heather honey. It had a rich floral scent and a strong intense flavor, a rung up from thyme honey which is more commonly found, but also flavorful.

Our farewell lunch was held next door to Aglaia and Costas’ home at Ela’s, Aglaia’s other amazing assistant, and her husband Stathi’s home. Ela served her pickled vegetables, a savory orzo pasta with tomatoes, homemade bread and several salads along with the meal’s highlight, a tender, free-range lamb that Stathi had roasted in a wood fired oven. For dessert, Ela had made a dense, sweet cake filled with walnuts and served it with ice cream. Her adorable children overcame their shyness by the time the ice cream came and joined us.

Soon our taxi’s arrived to take us our hotel to pick up our bags so we could catch the ferry back to the mainland. They say “parting is such sweet sorrow” and I truly felt that way leaving Aglaia’s and Costa’s home. They welcomed us into their lives for the week, and into their home, cooking and sharing meals with them, laughing and telling many stories. It was the best experience I have ever had and I am forever grateful! I can only look forward to the day when I will be able to return.

Maple and bacon go really well together and we couldn’t help but think that a party platter with cheese triangles would be a perfect pairing for this incredible sauce. It will be a hit at your next party for sure. Who can resist?

Ingredients

Filling:

6 oz. goat cheese, softened

1 tbs. honey

1 ½ tsp. ground cardamom

6 Sheets of phyllo dough

½ stick butter, melted

Sauce:

1 cup Greek yogurt, vanilla flavored

1 tbs. maple syrup

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

3 slices of bacon

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the goat cheese, the honey and the cardamom until well blended. Set aside.

Arrange the bacon in a frying pan and cook until crispy. Crumble or cut into bits. Set aside.

Brush each sheet of phyllo dough with the melted butter and layer together. Brush the top layer with butter and cut the phyllo into three strips and again into four squares. Add a dollop of the cream cheese mixture onto the phyllo square and fold into triangles pinching the edges to seal shut. Brush each finished triangle with butter.

Place triangles onto a baking sheet and bake for 15- 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a baking rack.

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, maple syrup and the pumpkin pie spice.

To serve, spread a spoonful of the yogurt sauce on the bottom of a plate, arrange the phyllo triangles and sprinkle with the bacon.

I remember making this as a kid with my mother. It’s always been one of my favorite sweets. For some reason, I was under the illusion that it was extremely difficult to make, remembering how long it took to place and butter each layer just so, keeping the dough covered with a damp towel because it would dry out and become unusable. Nothing could be farther from the truth. It is actually incredibly easy to make! And, I have yet to dry out my dough even if I leave it uncovered while I work for a few extra minutes. Sometimes, I think my towel is too damp and actually makes the dough stick together and that rips and breaks it. But even then, with broken dough, the layers are forgiving and once it’s made, you never know if any layers are broken or if any had actually been pieced together.

I like using a mixture of pistachios and walnuts, but I feel that walnuts alone make it more traditional and walnuts are a bit more economical. You can use either or both. It’s totally up to you and your preference.

I made this for Rosh Hashanah this year, and it was so well received that I made it again for a bake sale and for my father in law when he came to visit us for the first days of Sukkot. On Rosh Hashanah, it is customary to eat sweet foods made with honey in hopes of a sweet year ahead. Considering how much Baklava I have made this month, we should have a very sweet year ahead! (And one that should be spent more in the gym!)

I hope you will have a sweet year ahead too. Make this, and you are off to a great start!

Ingredients

Filling:

5 cups walnuts, chopped

½ cup Superfine Sugar

1 tbs ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground cardamom

1 tsp ground cloves

1lb package Phyllo sheets, #5 (I prefer to use Kontos brand, but Apollo or other brands are ok as well)

1 cup butter or margarine, melted

Syrup:

2 cups, plus 2 tbs granulated sugar

1½ cup water

½ cup honey

¼ lemon, peel only

3 whole cloves

1 tbs Orange Blossom Water (available in Mediterranean Grocers)

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the walnuts, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, melt butter or margarine in the microwave and set aside.

Set up your prep area by having your bowl of melted butter with a pastry brush to your side, a 9x13x2” pan in front of you and your sheets of phyllo dough covered with a damp towel on the other side of you.

Place one phyllo sheet into the bottom of the pan and brush with butter. Repeat until you have 6 layers. Depending on the size of the phyllo sheet, you may have to overlap the pan and fold back into the pan making a second layer with one sheet. Brush each layer with butter!

Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture onto the phyllo sheets. Cover with a phyllo sheet and brush with melted butter. Repeat until you have 4 layers.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the nut mixture onto the phyllo sheets. Cover with a phyllo sheet and brush with melted butter. Repeat until you have 4 layers.

Sprinkle the last 1/3 of the nut mixture onto the phyllo sheets. Cover with a phyllo sheet and brush with melted butter. Repeat until you have 6 layers. Brush the top with butter.

Being careful not to cut all the way through, slice the pastry into 2”squares, (3 rows by 5 rows) then you can cut each square into triangles or just the center row. Try to leave the bottom layers intact so the syrup will soak up more efficiently. Also be careful if you are using an aluminum pan to not poke holes as you are slicing, or your syrup will spill out the bottom. You really don’t want to clean up hot, sticky syrup! It makes a big mess! (Trust me when I say this!)

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top layer of phyllo is golden brown.

While the pastry is baking, make the syrup.

Combine all the syrup ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Remove the cloves and lemon peel with a spoon. Keep the syrup hot over low heat.

As soon as you remove the pastry from the oven, pour the syrup immediately over the baklava.

Allow to cool at room temperature uncovered. Once completely cooled, you may cover with plastic wrap or foil or if you can’t help it, scoop out a piece and enjoy!